Damn...some of those boss characters are just MURDER on the hands w/ having to rappidly fire that trigger!!

-Shifty

 

people are going to own

 

What control method you all using?
Im not using the stylus mode but have been switching back and forth alot from inverted to normal. Can't decide which one Im going to eventually be most comfortable with.

Just beat the first boss on the 2nd try. Those damn lasers.
Been pwning on wifi for some reason. Guess everyone else has been getting used to the controls as well. Wish you could fire with the right shoulder button, the left one is awkward and im right handed.
Still a fun game, liking the enviorment designs. Taking alot of cheap shots while scanning grrr lol
Also liking the other bounty hunters alot. It's fun transforming into their alt modes hehe

 

Added the 2 people so far

 

I'm using the Stylus 'Right Hand' mode and the trigger (fire) button is on the 'L' button which is just MURDER on the bosses.
Also I find that in my excitement, my right hand starts moving the stylus all around which makes me not as acurate w/ my shots lol

-Shifty

 

I still don't have the dongle, but I did manage to find someone else who has the game. We tried out the LAN-type multi-card play and it's pretty fun. I have to say, I'm glad both Nintendo and Sony have included this ad-hoc wireless multiplayer feature with their respective handhelds; it was always a pain to have to screw around with cables in the past.

Anyway, both of us were still struggling to get used to the controls, which led to some pretty ridiculous matches, and neither of us really managed to get ahead in wins. I still can't really hack the stylus controls, and I never bothered to put the thumbstrap on my DS in the first place, so I haven't tried that option.

I keep hearing that the stylus mode gives an unfair advantage to people used to mouse-and-keyboard FPS controls, but the comparison doesn't quite make sense to me, since standard computer controls obviously don't feel the same as dragging a plastic stick across the screen. Still, it's early days yet, and I've only played for maybe an hour in single player and a little longer when we were fooling around in multiplayer. What little time I had for gaming this week was swallowed up by playing Hard and Julius modes in Dawn of Sorrow.

I do think the stylus controls are going to end up providing the most accuracy of the two control styles, but for now, I'm just more comfortable with dual controls. They're cumbersome, but since the stylus control doesn't feel much more intuitive to me either (I always end up jumping by accident), I'm not sure it makes a difference yet.

Any opinions?

 

Stylus control rocks. Just like a mouse and keyboard.

The trick to saving your hands.

use a LIGHT touch on the stylus. Don't press down, you don't need to.

Slip your right pinky finger behind the back of the DS to support it so your left hand won't get tired. You should be able to go for much longer like this.

I supose it helps to have big hands though. The rest of you, I guess will be better off when the DS lite comes out.

 

I'm fine with regular stylus control for the most part. I just can't jump, shoot and aim at the same time that good. Speaking of the local wi-fi/lan/whatever you call it, lots of people have come up to me asking how me and whoever are playing together. They're surprised by the wireless link. At least one or two people that had a DS didn't even know you can do download share

 

I guess stylus control is somewhat the same as a mouse/keyboard, although I still don't think it has the same feel. It does offer a similar high accuracy rate.

I'm going to try GigatronSama's tips for holding my DS, because my left hand does tire out pretty easily after an hour or two of play. I've been experimenting more with stylus control, and (as advertised) it does make headshots easier. It's also good in boss fights. I do find strafing to be a little easier with the dual mode controls, though, and I kind of wish the developers had put the option to switch control styles in the pause menu, instead of making you go all the way back to your ship, or quit out entirely.

Higher sensitivity seems to be the way to go--I love how easy it is to spin around this way. Really good when you're fighting large numbers of enemies, or when someone or something gets behind you. Also, the low sensitivity is just too slow--yeah, you may be able to aim more accurately at big, dumb targets, but small, fast ones escape so easily your head will spin.

Anyway, I am getting used to the game, but I can't imagine playing it on the DS Lite. I've always had to scrunch up my hands a bit to play on the GBA SP because it's kind of awkward for me to hold--I don't want to know what it's like with the DS Lite.

 

Got it on launch day, think it mostly rocks.

Mostly, because this game is a walking argument for why the DS needs a fixed mount. Aiming with the stylus is good. Moving with the D-pad is good. Doing all of the above AND using L to fire, while trying to hold up the weight of the DS just doesn't work.

Even when I brace the DS on my leg, my left hand gets hella tired playing after a few minutes. Charging shots while moving is a pain in the ass.

If the D-pad was lower on the unit, this wouldn't be as big of an issue. If you look at a normal dual-stick console controller, there's a fair bit of distance between the left shoulder button and left analog stick, so that your hand doesn't cramp up in an uncomfortable position whenever you hit the shoulder button. Not so here -- and the DS Lite puts the D-pad even CLOSER to the shoulder button. Whoops.

That said, it IS just as accurate as a keyboard and mouse setup .. or can be, if set up properly. That's something you haven't been able to say about ANY console shooter up until now -- even on the big systems.

I wish there was an IN-GAME option to switch between control schemes on the fly. Double-tapping to jump is mostly OK, but doesn't cut it in some sections. I find myself occasionally stabbing a jump button with my stylus instead of double-tapping. Haven't tried the dual-mode setup yet, simply because I KNOW it can't possibly compete with the smooth movement of the stylus ... though my hands strongly object.

The single-player game seems to actually be tweaked like a normal PC-style shooter -- that is, after a certain point it assumes you've mastered the sensitivity of the touch pad, and starts throwing enemies and bosses at you that you'd normally NEED a keyboard and mouse to have a chance against. You'll realize this the first time you spend 5 minutes circle strafing and rapid firing at a boss, while your hand cramps up in pain.

I'm about a third of the way through in single-player. Whether I'll finish it depends on whether the bosses suddenly turn impossible in the last stages (like the first Metroid Prime). But it's definitely fun so far.

-XCN-

 

Well, I'm over halfway in single player, and all I have to say is... BLEAH.

This isn't a bad game, and I still love the multiplayer, but single player is seriously lacking.

This game was obviously designed as a multiplayer frag fest only. If I felt like getting all fanboyish, I'd say "This game spits on the Metroid license and then dances on it!" But I'm above all that now.   j/k

Seriously, I understand that game reviewers usually have no idea what they're talking about. I don't bother to read them anymore, myself. But looking at the scores various sites have given this game--the lowest pro review I've seen still gives it an "8," with 4.5/5 being the norm--I have to wonder whether game reviewers are brain damaged.

I know most players hate the exploration involved in most of the past Metroid games, but that's one of the things I love about the series. This game is more linear than Metroid Fusion. Oh, well, you can visit some of the areas out of order once you unlock all the planets. But the game essentially leads you by the nose.

Even aside from that, you just fight the same enemies over and over and over again, because most of them are just recolors--there are four different types of Psycho Bits, several different War Wasps, 2 or three different Voldrums... and let's not forget that before the last boss, unless you count Hunters as bosses (you could, I suppose), the game only has two different types of bosses... which you apparently have to fight four times each.

The game is playable, and some of the areas are interesting to wander around (I kind of like Alinos and Arcterra), but I would have rather done without some of the multiplayer arenas (20 would have been fine, 26 is just overkill) or the FMV clips to have a better-rounded single player.

After all, an FPS is NOT just made by its multiplayer; Call of Duty 2 and Half-Life 2 have both excellent single player and multiplayer, as does the original Halo. Would it have killed NTS to take games like that as an inspiration, and not just spent all the time on one half of the game? I don't think its appearance on a portable is an excuse for the weak SP, either.

I don't hate the game (well, except when I run out of time during some of the "escapes" after fighting a boss for fifteen minutes, then I hate it), but I think it's the weakest entry in the entire series (previously, I thought that was either Metroid 2 or Metroid Fusion).

Probably I'm just disappointed, because I waited for nearly two years for new Metroid after MP 2 (which I love to death), and I got this. I'm wondering if I should just beat it, play multiplayer until I get tired of it, and then just trade it in for Tetris.

 

Risking the wrath of the double-posting gods, I'll share some final impressions. I just finished the single player last night--100% in just under twelve hours, not too bad considering I was just wandering around.

I'm still a bit disappointed by the single player, because there are good elements in it--despite the usual cliches (fire world, ice world, and space stations) I did like parts of the ice and space station levels. Going into space in the Celestial Archives second visit was new for the series (I'm not counting the first room in Metroid Prime's prologue), and inspired. But all the good elements (the irritating but highly accurate stylus control, graphics that fit in well with the Metroid Prime series) are also held down by the same things I whined and moaned about the other day (lack of variety in bosses and enemies, mostly).

I do have some other positive things to say. The last boss wasn't too terrible, and the second form was actually slightly more challenging than the first (since it was a little harder to dodge in a less open area). This is at least a step up from Metroid Prime (anyone think the second form in that fight is harder than the first? I doubt too many people do). I had to resort to the hint book finally, though, mostly because I couldn't figure out exactly how the puzzle to face the second form was solved (I don't want to spoil anything here, but it involves figuring out the correct order in which to fire at something, or things).

One other thing that I did like is that the game saved all the logbook entries after the last fight, so if I want to challenge the boss on that file again, no more scanning. (I can also read them at my leisure.) Sad to say, I wished the other two MP games had done this, because I sort of like to poke through the logbook. Perhaps that's a bit pathetic, but, *shrugs*

And there's no denying the excellence of the control system, apart from double-tapping to jump. I kept having to recalibrate my touch screen because I started to jump every time I tried to gently swing the camera around after I finished the boss fights/escapes. Fortunately, I didn't damage my touch screen (I didn't even scractch it), but that was worrying.

Strangely, I have to say, the AI for the other hunters feels a lot like Unreal Tournament--they use similar patterns (running backwards then forwards, then either jumping or strafing from side to side, occasionally mixing it up a bit), and UT tactics work well in this game. Once I figured that out, I ended up owning their sorry asses every time they showed up. I particularly liked chasing down Noxus and Sylux, because I could own their sorry asses so quickly with UT tactics.

Anyway, I guess I won't get rid of it, but after I get tired of multiplayer it probably won't come off the shelf too often, either. As a game, I guess I'd give it a 7, and hopefully they'll put more effort into single player in the inevitable sequel.

 

lately I've gotten addicted to multiplayer. I've tried the different characters, and while I started as Spire as a run and gunner I've found myself lately warming up to Noxus. (Ironic statement I know)

Freezing things and getting free headshots is incredibly fun. And of course just diving into a densely packed fight swinging the vorscythe, sending everyone running is too awsome.

 

I've been playing lots of single player, and I love it. I can't believe how bad I am at video games I am these days...I got it at the release and am still chugging away at the single player. 6 Octoliths!

Multiplayer is fun, but I really do get owned and I don't have a wireless network here in my dorm, although I can always wander down the hill and play online. Now that the weather si so nice, I just might.

I'm really loving Spire right now, but all the characters are fun. Each has there own really nasty advantage, but non seem overbalanced. I like Weavel and Noxus, too. I wanted to like Kanden more, but I don't use the Volt driver often and his alt mode fireds too slowly comparded to Samus or Sylux.